Apparatus for drying nuts



(No Model.)

J. J. PHILLIPS. APPARATUS FOR DRYING NUTS, GRAIN. &c..

1 0. 410,017. Patented Arigf2'7, 1889.-

Wan 885 8 [mum 207a dmywy yz maldmm N, PETERS. Phololilhognphu. Washin ton. D. C.

UNITED STATES? PATENT OFFICE;

JAMES J. PHILLIPS, or NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING NUTS, GRAIN, ac.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters I'atent No. 410,017, dated August 27, 1889. Application filed November 24 l88 8. Serial No. 291,826. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES J. PHILLIPS, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful V Improvements in Machines for Drying Nuts and Grain 5 and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of this invention, and is a vertical section. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the lower portion, and is taken where the broken line 00 a: is marked on Fig. 1.

The object of this invention is to provide a self-feeding drier for nuts and grain and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of devices, all as hereinafter set forth. A drier of this character is designed to have considerable vertical extension, and may be built through several floors of a building.

The letter A designates the outer incasement of the drier, which is preferably rectangular in crosssection, and opening at its lower end into a heater B, which may be provided with a coil of steam-pipe or hot-air pipe, or may be supplied with hot air from a furnace of suitable character. A draft-regulator is provided in the heater in order that there may be more or less cool air allowed to enter, as the character of the work may demand.

0 is a hopper at the upper end of the driercase, and D is an exhaust-fan, to which a pipe E leads from an opening E in the upper part of the drier. The object of this exhaust is to take out the vapor, which arises in great quantity from wet nuts when they enter the upper part of the drier. From the case'of the exhaust the outlet-pipe F may connect with the flue G at the .top of the drier, so that the draft will be unimpaired.

H Hrepresent a series of pivoted planes over which the nuts pass as they descend through the drier. These planes are perforated or of open-work material, as wirecloth, so that the hot air can pass up freely through them to reach the nuts passing over their upper surfaces. They are usually constructed with strong frames, which are provided with shafts or journals a, seated in bearings 12 of the incasement. The planes H H are arranged one above another and are adjustable to various degrees of inclination or to level position. planes are usually divided into sets, each set consisting of alternate planes, connected so that their adjustment is uniform. This may be accomplished by providing the shafts a of these planes with arms or cranks c c, which are connected by rodsd d to short levers e e,

which may be operated by a common shifting-lever K when readjustment is required. As the planes 1-1 are inclined in the opposite direction from the planes H, this adjusting mechanism will enable the operator to move.

all the planes uniformly, so that when ads justed their inclination will be alike and the nuts pass down over them at equal rates of speed. The planes are usually provided with raised bars or guards extending transversely and designed to keep the nuts from heaping and to facilitate spreading them evenly in a thin layer as they pass under said guards.

L L are inclined ledges arranged alter-- or other receptacle. This discharge is designed to be regulated by a gate V, arranged in ways For this purpose the of the incasement and adapted to approximate the discharging-ledge N more or less closely, according to its adjustment, which is determined by the rapidity of feed, the object being to allow the nuts to pass over the planes in a thin layer rather slowly, and the angle of inclination of said planes being so regulated that the nuts will follow each other rather than heap up. The regulation can be effected with nicety. If the gateV is closed, the progress can also be prevented by leveling the planes at any time.

Glazed doors Z are provided in the incasement at intervals opposite the planes in order to permit inspection and facilitate rectifying the work going on inside at any time.

Having described this invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLett-ers Patent, 1s-

1. The drier having a series of planes arranged one above the other and in consecutive oppositely-inclined positions, and having central pivot-shafts provided with crank-arm s extending in successive opposite directions and connected together in alternate pairs by opposite parallel rods, the lower ends of said rods being connected by interacting levers, actuated. by a hand shifting-lever, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a vertically-elongated drler-case having alternate turningledges attached to its wall, and a top flue, of a discharge-rcgulator, series of alternating inclined planes, an exhaust connected to the upper part of the case and leading into the flue, the same being arranged Wholly to one side of the updraft, and a heater at its base, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aifix m y signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES J. PHILLIPS.

Witnesses: V VILLETTE ANDERSON, MARY BOYKIN. 

